Though certainly not at quite the same level, Drive Like Jehu have grown to possess a Velvet Underground-like legacy in the contemporary underground rock scene. You know, the ol' Brian Eno assertion that they may not have sold many records in their day, but their influence far surpassed their popularity and they inspired legions of musicians who followed in their wake. Indeed, Jehu were only active for 5 years (1990-1995), and even during that tenure the band's members were splitting their time with other bands and projects, most notably guitarist/vocalist John "Speedo" Reis with Rocket From the Crypt. They didn't tour very much. (Andrew was living near Los Angeles for a few of those years, and he honestly can't recall Jehu playing a show there. They certainly must have played a few, but they were hardly playing out often.) They only released two albums and one single. And while we have no idea the sales figures, they were hardly moving mega-units. Nevertheless, their style of propulsive, wiry guitar rock with quiet-loud dynamics, frantic speak-shout vocals, and abstruse lyrics galvanized the prevailing "math rock" sound of the 1990s post-hardcore scene. And it's a style that still gets replicated widely today.
Back in mid-August, Jehu quietly announced that they'd be playing a free reunion show at San Diego's Balboa Park in just a couple week's time, on August 31st. They'd be accompanied by San Diego's civic organist, and play for only about a half-hour. It'd be their first live performance in 19 years, and (at least for now) the band swears it's their only reunion show. (Here's a great HD video of the full set.) To commemorate their reunion, we decided to look back at Drive Like Jehu, some of the members' post-Jehu activities, and the 1990s San Diego indie/punk rock scene from whence they came.
Here's the playlist for our Saturday, September 6, 2014, broadcast:
Drive Like Jehu - "Golden Brown"
Pitchfork - "Thin Ice"
Rocket From the Crypt - "Pigeon Eater"
Hot Snakes - "10th Planet"
Back Off Cupids - "Trivial Pursuit"
Obits - "No Fly List"
No Knife - "Charades"
aMiniature - "Towner On the B-Side"
Chune - "Mel Brown"
Inch - "Chicharrones"
The Peechees - "I Could Have Loved You"
Heroin - "Head Cold"
Antioch Arrow - "Lightning Bolt"
Swing Kids - "El Camino Car Crash"
Trumans Water - "Outpatient Lightspeed"
Drive Like Jehu - "Step On Chameleon"
Archived streaming audio of this show can be heard here now (playable in Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Opera, and Safari browsers):
